woo 
W O R 
her \^7anting the beautiful crirnfon fpot on her 
head. 
Woodpecker, Spotted, Lesser ; the Picus 
Minor of Linnseus. This refembles the Great 
Spotted Woodpecker in colour and fhape ; but 
is considerably fmaller, fcarcely weighing one 
ounce. It's length, from the tip of the bill to the 
extremity of the tail, is only fix inches; and the 
expanfion of the wings is eleven. The forehead 
is of a dirty white hue; the crown of the head (in 
the male only) is of a beautiful crirnfon; the 
cheeks and fides of the neck are white ; and the 
hind part of the head and neck, together with 
the coverts of the wings, are black. The back 
is barred with black and white; the breaft and 
belly are of a dirty white hue; and the vent-fea- 
thers are a bright crirnfon. The crown of the 
head (in the female) is white; and the feet are 
lead-coloured. 
This fpecies has all the chara£lers and habits of 
the larger kind, but is lefs common. | 
Pennant mentions a middle Woodpecker, the 
Eicus Medius of Linn^us; but it differs fo little 
from the Great Spotted Woodpecker, that he is 
doubtful whether it ought to be confidered as ?. 
diftinfl fpecies, or only as a variety. We are in- 
clined to embrace the latter opinion. 
Woodpecker, Three-toed ; the Picus Try- 
dafbylus of Linnaeus. This fpecies, which is a 
native of Hudfon's Bay, and fomeof the northern 
countries of Europe, is about five inches and a 
half long, and eleven inches broad. The body 
is black, with a white ftreak beginning at the 
root of the bill, and extending on each fide to the 
nape of the neck, where it joins, and afterwards 
runs down the neck, and along the back, as far 
as the tail. The breafi; and the lower belly are 
white and black; and the wing-feathers are black 
above, marked with a few rows of fmall white 
fpots, and afli-coloured below. The tail is iliort, 
ftrong, and black, except the extreme feathers, 
which are marked with white at their tips. The 
top of the head is of a fafiron colour; and 
the bill is angular, but terminates in a round 
point. On each foot are three toes, two before, 
and one behind; a peculiarity in which it differs 
from all other Woodpeckers. 
Woodpecker, Jamaica. The bill of this 
fpecies is ftraight, Ih'arp-pointed, and black ; and 
about one inch and a half long. The fore part of 
the head, all round the bafe of the bill, and be- 
yond the eyes, are of a yellowifli white colour; 
but the hinder part of the head and neck is of a 
bright fcarlet. The throat and breaft are of a 
dirty olive, which gradually becomes reddifti on 
the belly, with tranfv-erfe dufky lines on it's lower 
part, and on the thighs. The coverts under the 
tail are marked with dufl<y and whitifn broken 
tranfverfe lines; and the back, the upper fide of 
the wings, the rump, and the tail, are black, with 
narrow, tranfverfe, light brown lines on the back, 
which affume a lighter colour on the wings, and 
become broader and whiter on the rump. Tlie 
two extreme feathers of the tail have v/hite fpots 
on the outer webs. The legs and feel are ftrong, 
and exaftly refemble thofe of the kind. 
- Woodpecker, Spotted, Indian. This fpe- 
cies has a long, ftraight, blackifl-i bill, ridged on 
the upper part; the crown of the head, from the 
bill backwards, and beyond the eyes, is black, 
fpeckled with white; but the hinder part of the 
head is covered with long fcarlet feathers tending 
backwards, in form of a creft. The fides of the 
head ^lelow the eyes are white; and the throat, 
from the bill to the middle of the breaft, is irre- 
gularly variegated with large black and white 
fpots. The hinder part of the neck is black ; 
and on each fide runs a white line dov/n to the 
wings. The beginning of the back is yellow; but 
the lower part and the rump are of a dull green 
hue. The belly, thighs, and coverts beneath the 
tail, are white, fprinkled with femilunar fpots. . 
Some of the exterior primaries are black, barred 
with white ; the remainder, and the coverts of the 
wings, are of a dull green colour ; and the Icfler 
coverts are a- dark brown, with diftinft white 
fpots. The tail is blackifti, with a caft of dull 
green; the feathers that compofe it are ftiff and 
pointed; and the legs and claws are duil:y. 
This bird is a native of Bengal, in the.Eaft 
Indies. 
Ornithologifts mention feveral other fpecies of 
Woodpeckers ; fuch as the green grey-headed, 
the red-cheeked, the yellow, the- great black, the 
great of Catefby, and the hanging : but all thefe 
exa6lly correfpond in their manners and confor- 
mation; and, where the difference confifts only 
in the colour of a few feathers, it is beneath the 
attention of the general naturalift to remark every 
variation. 
WOOD-PIGEON. See Ring-dove. 
WOOD-PUCERONS. An appellation by 
which Reaumur expreffes a fmall fpecies of in- 
fed: of the puceron kind, of agreyifh colour, and 
diftinguiftied by two hollow horns on the pofte- 
rior part of it's body. Thcie infedts make their 
way into the fubftance of trees, particularly elms,, 
where they are fometimes found in great numbers 
after the trees are cut down. 
WOOD-SPITE. A provincial appellation 
for the common green woodpecker. 
WOOFE. A name by which fome authors 
denote the fea-wolf, or lupus marinus. 
WORMS. The fixth clafs of animals in the 
Linnsean diftribution of nature; including five 
orders, the inteftina, mollufca, teftacea, litho- 
phyta, and zoophyta; which are again fubdivided 
into eighty genera, and eleven hundred and fixty- 
fix fpecies. 
Animals of this clafs are diftinguifhed by hav-^ 
ing the heart with one ventricle, and no auricle ; 
and a cold, colourlefs fanies : they are particularly 
difcriminated from infefts by being tentaculated, 
whereas the latter are antennated. 
A deicription of the common Earth-worm,,' 
or Lumbricus, a genus of the order of inteftina, 
will give a general idea of the whole. 
This creature has a fpiral mufcle, running round 
the whole body from the head to the tail, by 
means of which it performs it's progreffive mo- 
tion, alternately contrafting and extending itfelf, 
and keeping the ground it has gained by chc 
fiime of the fore part of it's body. 
Defigned by nature for a life of obfcurity, if 
fcems wifely adapted for it's fituation. It's body 
is armed with fmall, ftiff, ftiarp prickles, which it 
occafionally erefts ordepreffes; under the fl«:in is 
a nimy juice, which it ejects, according to it's ne- 
ccffities, through certain perforations between t!ie 
rings of the mufcles, which affifting to lubricate 
it's body, facilitates it's paffage into the earth.. 
Like iniedls in general, it has breathing holes 
^ along the back, adjoining each ring; but it is 
deftitute of bones, eyes, ears, and properly of 
* ieet ; 
